Is the sweet gum tree a type of Maple?
Sweet gum tree has maple-like leaves that turn yellow to red in the fall. See more pictures of trees. Sweet gum tree is a tall, majestic tree that's difficult to beat for symmetrical beauty in a landscape setting. Although native to eastern North America, it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range.
Is sweetgum a hardwood?
There has been a lot of debate over whether the sweet gum is a hardwood of softwood. The truth is that sweet gum comes from the Liquidambar Styraciflua, which is one of the most common hardwoods in the southeastern United States. The species can be naturally found growing in lowlands from southwestern Connecticut to Central Florida.
Are sweet gum trees worth anything?
Are sweet gum trees worth anything? Despite the difficulties in their taxonomy, sweet gum trees are in fact widely distributed and well known, due to their varied uses by people. They are valued for their high quality timber and they produce fragrant resin (styrax).
How to identify a sweet gum tree?
How to Identify a Sweet Gum Tree
- Look at the general shape of the tree. Mature Sweet Gum trees have what is known as an Ovular shape.
- Examine the leaf. Sweet Gum trees have a star-shaped leaf with five points. ...
- Examine the bark. Sweet Gum bark consists of long rough ridges. ...
- Look for Seed Pods. After 20-30 years of age, Sweet Gum trees will begin producing seed pods every year. ...
What is a sweet gum tree?
Sweet Gum Tree. Sweet gum tree has maple-like leaves that turn yellow to red in the fall.See more pictures of trees. Sweet gum tree is a tall, majestic tree that's difficult to beat for symmetrical beauty in a landscape setting. Although native to eastern North America, it is widely planted throughout the continent in its range.
Is a sage tree acidic or alkaline?
In fact, it is one of the most pH-tolerant of all trees, thriving equally well in acid or alkaline conditions.
Is Formosan gum hardy?
Sweet gum tree related species: The Formosan sweet gum (Liquidambar formosana) is similar to the native sweet gum but with three-lobed leaves. It is not as hardy as the native species.
What is the color of sweetgum?
Sweetgum leaves are star-shaped with five (sometimes seven) long, pointed lobes whose veins connect to a notched base. They range in color from green to yellow to deep red. The sweetgum produces greenish flowers covered with fine hairs, and its fruit resembles small "sticker balls" or "burr balls," which are eaten by birds and chipmunks.
What kind of tree has maple leaves?
The leaves of a maple tree are very distinct, but that shape does not belong to maple leaves alone—a number of broadleaf trees have maple-like leaves. This list includes sycamore, yellow-poplar, and sweetgum trees. Like the maple tree, these species have leaves whose ribs or veins radiate out from a single stalk or petiole attachment in ...
How many lobes does a sycamore have?
Like maple leaves, sycamore leaves are divided into three to five shall ow lobes. However, when mature, those lobes extend beyond four inches in size. Like the sweetgum and the yellow-poplar, the sycamore has leaves that are alternate in arrangement.
How many species of maple are there?
The maple is a genus with about 128 different species, including the vine maple ( Acer circinatum ), hornbeam maple ( Acer carpinifolium ), and paperbark maple ( Acer griseum ). Most maple trees are between 30 and 150 feet tall, with flowers that are yellow, orange, red, or green.
What do maple leaves look like?
Like the maple tree, these species have leaves whose ribs or veins radiate out from a single stalk or petiole attachment in a palmate pattern (that is, the lobes resemble a set of fingers). Some people refer to these leaves as having a "star" form or a maple-like silhouette.
How many lobes does a maple tree have?
Maple Leaves. The major maples have leaves that are divided into three to five lobes. Each lobe is less than four inches in size. and they have an opposite leaf arrangement. Other trees with "maple-like" leaves—the sycamore, sweetgum, and yellow-poplar—have leaves that are alternate in arrangement. The maple is a genus with about 128 different ...
What is a sycamore tree?
As a whole, sycamores are members of the genus Planatus, which is made up of species commonly known as plane trees. They are typically grown as ornamental trees, and sycamore wood is used to make furniture, boxes, and crates. 3. of 4.
What is sweet gum?
Sweet-gum is known for its unique star-shaped leaves with outstanding yellow, red, and purple fall color. It can be an excellent shade tree in the right location, away from foot traffic where the spiky “gumball” fruits will not be an annoyance. If an appropriate space is available, check out the cold-hardy cultivar, ‘Moraine’, which is recommended for northern Illinois.
How many lobes does a maple tree have?
The alternate leaves are maple-like or star-shaped. They have 5 to 7 lobes and are 4 to 8 inches long and wide with serrate margins. The dark to medium glossy green leaves change to a kaleidoscope of yellow, red, purple tones in the fall. Leaves have a camphor-like smell when crushed.
How wide is a symlink?
A narrow, columnar form, growing 6 to 8 feet wide and 60 feet high.
When do gumballs turn brown?
Gumball-like, 1 to 1.5 inch, spiny fruits change from green to brown in late summer and fall. Fruits are a dehiscent capsule and persist into winter. They are considered messy especially near sidewalks and patios.
Can sweet gum grow in full sun?
Sweet-gum grows best in full sun to partial shade in deep, moist, bottomland soils. Transplanting is difficult due to a shallow, fleshy root system. Slow to establish. Because of a wide geographical range, it is important to use northern nursery sources.
How to tell if a maple tree is sweetgum or maple?
It can be challenging to tell sweetgum trees apart from some maple tree varieties. The main differences between the two species are that sweetgum leaves usually have deeper lobbing and are arranged alternately on branches, whereas maple tree leaves have an opposite leaf arrangement.
What is a sweetgum tree?
Sweetgum trees (botanical name Liquidambar) are a species of large deciduous flowering trees with large lobed leaves, small globular flowers, and seed-containing spiky gumballs. Sweetgum trees are identified by their colorful lobed leaves that can be orange, red, yellow, or purple colors in the fall.
What is the name of the tree with large, star-shaped leaves and dark brown spiky gumballs?
The American sweetgum tree ( Liquidambar styraciflua) has large, star-shaped leaves and dark brown spiky gumballs. As a majestic shade tree, the American sweetgum has a tall, straight trunk with a broadly conical crown. This low-maintenance landscape tree grows between 60 and 80 ft. (18 – 24 m) tall and up to 60 ft. (12 m wide).
What are the balls on a sweetgum tree called?
Sweetgum tree balls (gumballs) are green when immature (left) and dark brown when mature (right) Sweetgum trees are known for their balls, also called gumballs, sweetgum fruits , or capsules. The spiky gumballs hang in clusters.
How tall is a Chinese sweetgum?
Also called Twainese sweet gum or Formosan gum, this Liquidambar species grows between 100 and 131 ft. (30 – 40 m) tall. Not as cold-hardy as other sweetgums, the Chinese sweetgum grows in USDA zones 7 – 9.
How did sweetgum get its name?
Sweetgum trees get their name from the sweet, sticky, resinous substance the oozes from the cut trunk. The scientific name— Liquidambar —also refers to this yellow sap and means liquid amber. The common name redgum comes from the spectacular red color of the leaves in the fall and the reddish-yellow color of the tree’s sap. Other common names for the sweetgum tree include liquid amber tree and sugar gum tree.
How many lobes does a sweetgum tree have?
Sweetgum Leaves. Sweetgum tree leaves are star-shaped, large palmate leaves with three to seven lobes. The large leaves from sweetgum trees grow between 5” and 8” (12 – 20 cm) long. Looking at pictures of sweetgum leaves, you’ll see that each leaf consists of three to seven pointed blades.
Where can I find sweetgum?
Little, Jr./U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service/Wikimedia Commons. Sweetgum grows from Connecticut southward throughout the East to central Florida and eastern Texas. It is found as far west as Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma and north to southern Illinois.
What is round leaf sweetgum?
Roundleaf sweetgum has star-shaped leaves with rounded tips and can turn deep purple to yellow in the fall. Rotundiloba does well in USDA hardiness zones 6 through 10 so it can be planted throughout most of the Eastern states, the Western coastal states but has a problem in upper Midwestern states.
How many lobes does a sweetgum have?
Description: The star-like leaf has 5 or 7 lobes or points and turns from green in summer to yellow or purple in autumn.
Why is Sweetgum called Redgum?
Sweetgum is sometimes called redgum, probably because of the red color of the older heartwood and its red fall leaves.
Where can I find a sage plant?
It is found as far west as Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma and north to southern Illinois. It also grows in scattered locations in northwestern and central Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. 4. of 6.
Can sweetgum be transplanted?
It is a little tricky to transplant because of its coarse root system, but root-pruned or container-grown trees from nurseries establish readily. The tiny seeds germinate freely if stratified and surface-sown in spring..."
Can sweetgum trees survive drought?
It is native to bottomlands and moist soils and tolerates only some (if any) drought. Existing trees often dieback near the top of the crown, apparently due to extreme sensitivity to construction injury to the root system, or drought injury. The tree leafs out early in the spring and is sometimes damaged by frost..."
How big are the leaves of a sweet gum tree?
Sweet gum tree leaves have five to seven pointed lobes, and their shape will remind you of a star. Mature leaves are 4 to 7 inches (10 to 18 cm.) wide. Their fall color lasts much longer than most other trees.
What is a Sweetgum Tree?
Sweetgums are straight, tall trees with a single trunk that reaches a height of 75 feet (23 m.) or more. These handsome trees have a pyramidal canopy when young that becomes rounded with age. They make excellent lawn or shade trees in large landscapes.
What are the downsides of sweetgum trees?
The downside to growing a sweetgum tree is the seed pods. Children call them gumballs or stickerballs, and it’s rare to find a child with a sweetgum growing nearby that hasn’t had an unpleasant experience with the spiky pods.
Why are sweetgum trees invasive?
These are trees that can become invasive in an area because they take root easily from seeds and grow quickly, often excluding all other plants in the area. It’s best to plant them in maintained areas where you’ll be cleaning up the seed pods.
Do sweetgums like sun?
Sweetgums need a location in full sun or partial shade. They grow in almost any soil, from sandy to clay and from acid to slightly alkaline. They have a lot of shallow roots, but they also have some deep roots that prefer moist, deep soil. They tolerate winters in USDA plant hardiness zones 5 through 9.
Do gumballs need raking?
Although they don’t need much direct care, they add quite a bit to your fall landscape maintenance. They drop an abundance of leaves that need raking, and gumballs fall from the tree over a period of months. Because of the hazard they present and the potential to take root, you’ll want to keep them swept up.
Do sweetgums need fertilizer?
Once established, sweetgums need very little care. You don’t need to fertilize them every year, although they appreciate some general purpose fertilizer or compost every few years. The trees are drought tolerant and don’t need to be watered once mature.
What is a sweet gum tree?
If the name isn't enough to intrigue you, the sweet gum tree (Liquidambar styraciflua) is an interesting tree with beautiful leaves.
What are the varieties of sweet gum trees?
Sweet gum trees are available in numerous cultivars, including varieties that never develop the prickly "gumballs" that can be a negative for some homeowners. Sterile - pod-free - cultivars are "Rotundiloba" and "Happydaze." Other cultivars have features such as variegated leaves -- "Silver King," "Golden Treasure" and "Variegata" -- or colorful regular season or fall foliage - "Burgundy," "Festival" and "Moraine" - while others have alternative profiles, like the more compact "Emerald Sentinel" or the narrow "Slender Silhouette."
How long does a sweet gum tree live?
However, this long-lived tree - the sweet gum can live more than 150 years -doesn't flower or produce seed for the first 15 to 20 years of its growth. Get the Best Mortgage Rate for You | SmartAsset.com. Loading.
How far away from sidewalks can sweet gum trees grow?
Situate where a sweet gum's mature height cannot interfere with overhead wires or other obstructions and at least 8 to 10 feet away from sidewalks and curbs, as the sweet gum tree root structure is an aggressive one that can cause pavement to heave.
What animals do sweet gum trees attract?
The sweet gum tree attracts wildlife including blue jays, cardinals, mourning doves, squirrels, chipmunks and luna moths. It is considered a hardwood species with wood weighing 52 pounds per cubic foot and is used in furniture and plywood. The resin the tree produces has been used in folk medicine as well as in chewing gum.
Where do sweet gum trees grow?
Sweet gum trees are native to the eastern U.S., but grow well throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 5 to 9 in full sun. The tree prefers moist, slightly acidic soil, but is adaptable to many soil types, including clay soil, dry or wet soil and soil that is neutral to somewhat alkaline.
When does sweet gum turn green?
It is glossy green in the spring and summer, turning to vivid red, yellow and even purple in the fall. In spring - March to May depending on location - the sweet gum produces small, pale green flowers that develop into spherical, spiky seed pods that can create a problem if you like to enjoy your yard in bare feet in the summer.
Where do sweetgum trees come from?
The Sweetgum tree is native to the southeastern United States and a member of a genus made up of only six species. The others are found only in Asia. The first historical reference to the tree comes from the author and soldier, Don Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who accompanied Cortez in 1519 and was a witness to ceremonies between Cortez and Montezuma, who both partook of a liquid amber extracted from a sweetgum tree. The tree itself was first noticed and recorded by the historian Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca in 1542. Once commercially popular for soaps, adhesives and pharmaceuticals, today its wood is valuable for fine furniture and interior finishing.
What color are sweetgum leaves?
Deep, glossy green star-shaped leaves mark the Sweetgum. Leaves turn yellow-purple-red in the fall, and stay on the tree quite late. Its shape is pyramidal, becoming more rounded with age. Avoid polluted sites. Grows 60'-70', with a 45' spread. (Zones 5-9)
What zone does Sweetgum grow in?
The american sweetgum can be expected to grow in Hardiness Zones 5–9. View Map
How many lobes does a sage have?
Features star-shaped leaves with 5 lobes (occasionally 7) that are lustrous medium green in color, toothed along the margins and 4–7½" in length.